One of the things I have appreciated most about the Queen is her consistency. Throughout my life she has always been there, a completely reliable and dependable presence. I don’t ever remember her missing important events. I suppose she must have been ill sometimes, but I was never aware of her being absent until the very last months of her life. Because she was so consistent it was easy to take her for granted and to overlook the demands of the duties she performed and how much they served our nation. Now she is not with us we are starting to understand these things.
I have appreciated the Queen’s attitude of service towards the nation and Commonwealth. She thought of the Commonwealth as a family. I suspect she saw herself in a motherly role and I believe that she really loved and cared for her people.
I have appreciated the Queen’s Christian faith, which she has often spoken about in a very simple way. It is clear that her faith has been closely linked to her attitude of service, and has given her strength and purpose in life. She has been very faithful in attending public worship and in fulfilling her constitutional duties with respect to the Church of England. She has also been a source of encouragement to other faith groups and good at recognising the distinctive contributions that they make to our society.
It seems to me that the Queen’s life, lived in a very public way, is an outstanding example of a life lived as a journey towards the life of heaven. There have been wonderful moments of celebration and recognition. There have been very difficult and painful moments where she has had to take up her cross and follow Jesus (c.f. Matthew 16: 24). I think especially of her Annus Horribilis of 1992, which saw the breakdown of three of her children’s marriages and the fire at Windsor Castle. The skill of living is to use each thing that happens to us, be it happy, sad or ordinary, as an opportunity to grow in love for God and love for our neighbour and so to grow closer to the life of heaven. I believe the Queen has done this. She gives us a wonderful example of how to live our own lives.
And now we have King Charles III. He has a difficult role because the Queen is a tough act to follow. I have been very encouraged by the things that the King has said at the start of his reign, especially his commitment to the serve people of all backgrounds and beliefs with loyalty, respect and love. Also his recognition that his life must now change and his commitment to the constitution and the Church of England. We will pray for him, as we prayed for his mother. Long live the King!
With prayers and best wishes, Fr Patrick
Prayers from the CofE Website
Gracious God, we give thanks
for the life of your servant Queen Elizabeth,
for her faith and her dedication to duty.
Bless our nation as we mourn her death
and may her example continue to inspire us;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Everlasting God, we pray for our new King.
Bless his reign and the life of our nation.
Help us to work together so that truth and justice, harmony and fairness
flourish among us;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.